&featureEveryone’s talking about jobs today. There’s the career fair over there in the alumni house (side note: do I get to stay there after I graduate?) and with graduation in t-68 days, it seems like everybody is discussing the future and careers and crap like that.

While you’re considering your future job, there are some things you undoubtedly factor in: location, pay, how un-boring it is, etc. Another thing you should probably think about is how likely you are to die in a particular profession.

The U.S. Dept of Labor has a list of the deadliest jobs in the U.S. The top five, as expected, are almost all outdoor labor jobs. Bad news, Future Fishermen of America, your job is the number one deadliest job in America. For every 100,000 fishermen employed there are 155 deaths. Watch out, guys and gals, those salmon are dangerous! Actually, most of the deaths are due to “boating mishaps.” Maybe “Deadliest Catch” isn’t such a boring show.

Following fishing, timber cutting and logging is the second-deadliest job. Not surprisingly, getting struck by a tree is the primary cause of death. When that tree is a-fallin’, there’s no avoiding it. Airplane pilots and navigators come next, followed by structural metal workers. The main cause of death for the metal workers is falling, which sounds kind of dumb at first, but when you realize the fall is from the top of a 65-story building, nothing sounds dumb.

Taxi cab drivers and chauffeurs come in at number five. No, the “major deadly event” is not car accidents. Most of these drivers die from homicides. Are people that pissed about the rate for taxis that they just kill the driver? “Holy crap, I can’t keep paying $30 to get across the city! DIE, TAXI DRIVER, DIE!”

Although the Dept. of Labor doesn’t list it, being president is also a pretty deadly job. Almost one-fifth of those who could put “U.S. President” on their resume have died in office.

The New York Times also published an article about recent deaths in the blogging world – two in the last few months. Other prominent bloggers cite significant weight loss or gain, heart attacks and other serious health risks as a direct result of their job. Just remember that, everyone. I’m putting my life on the line for you. Appreciate it.

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